Apparatus for filling containers

ABSTRACT

A machine for automatically filling containers such as ampoules and the like having a circular indexing table for moving the containers through a filling station. A liquid filling device having a discharge nozzle, an adjustable volume metering chamber and a valve controlling the filling of the chamber and the discharging of the liquid to the container through the nozzle. A powder filling device having a reservoir and a nozzle, the powder filling device and the liquid filling nozzle being rotatably mounted for alternative use at the filling station.

United States Patent Lewis Dec. 26, 1972 [54] APPARATUS FOR FILLING [56]References Cited CONTAINERS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [72] Invent:183,906 5/1887 France ..141/374 Canada 191,419 9/1964 Sweden ..141/263[73] Assignee: G. Diehl Mnteer Co., Strafford, Pa.

Primary Examiner-Houston S. Bell, Jr. [22] Filed: Dec. 30, 1970 AmmyA1an Swabey 21 A LN 102 8 1 pp 0 [57] ABSTRACT 'A A machine forautomatically filling containers such as [62] Division of Ser. No.823,348, May 9, 1969, abanampoules and the like having a circularindexing table cloned. I 4 for moving the containers through a fillingstation. A

liquid filling device having a discharge nozzle, an ad- [52] US. Cl..;14l/157, 141/165, 141/263, justable volume metering chamber and avalve con- 141/270, 141/312, 141/374 trolling the filling of the chamberand the discharging [51] Int. Cl. ..'.B65l43/42 of h liquid to thentainer through the nozzle. A [58] Field of Search ..141/270, 263, 374,312, 165, Po filling device having a reservoir and a zl 1 157 9 thepowder filling device and the liquid filling nozzle being rotatablymounted for alternative use at the filling station.

7 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures l I /06 i f so Z8 32 6a if 1.: :"',:"r""'"20 a :i'I I I I o o PATENTED DEC 26 1372 SHEET 2 OF 6 /.\'I I-.'.\ TOR y0. LEWIS A TTORNEY PATENTEU DEC 26 m2 SHEEI 3 [IF 6 G- 3 m'l-A'mk Roy D.LEWIS .4TTORNEY f PATENTED DEC 26 I972 saw u or 6 3 but y D LEWISATTORNEY f APPARATUS FOR FILLING CONTAINERS This application is adivisional application of United States Patent application Ser. No.823,348, filed May 9, 1969, now abandoned.

FIELDOF INVENTION 1. Background of Invention The present inventionrelates to an apparatus for automatically filling containers andparticularly to an apparatus for filling containers having restrictedopenings such as ampoules, vials, syringes and the like although notlimited to only-restricted opening containers.

2. Description of Prior Art Heretofore, many different types ofapparatus have been developed for filling-small containers such asampoules, etc., such asliquid, particularly for medicinal injectibles orcosmetic use. Many problems occur in the use of such apparatusparticularly in metering exact quantities of the liquid to be dispensedin each container.

Specifically, in most apparatus for filling such containers, themeasuring or metering chamber is usually separate from the actualfilling nozzle and connected thereto by flexible tubes or the like. Theproblem which occurs is that no provision is made for the amount ofliquid which remains in variable quantities in the tube or conduitleading from the measuring or metering chamber to the filling nozzle.Also, as readily foamable liquids are being filled into containers, theliquid often foams during the filling operation in view of the mixingaction imparted to the liquid as it is being filled under pressurewithin the container. This, of course, causes spillages and also resultsin inaccurate fill-volumes of the liquid. Another problem which is alsoparticular to the filling of easily oxidized liquids in such containersis that an air space is often left in the container even after thecontainer has been sealed. The air trapped in the container causesoxidation to take place, affecting the liquid.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide an improved fillingmachine in which means are provided for withdrawing a readily adjustablevolume of the liquid which remains in the conduits between the actualmeasuring chamber and the filling nozzle. Improvements have also beenmade in the filling operation which minimize the tendency of readilyfoamable liquids to foam while filling. Means are also provided forinsert ing an inert gas after the liquid has been filled in thecontainer for reducing the chance of oxidation of the liquids after thecontainer has been sealed.

A construction in accordance with the present invention includes anapparatus comprising drive means, fluid flow control means for fillingcontainers with a predetermined volume of fluid, means for measuring apredetermined volume of fluid to be filled, means for transferring saidpredetermined volume of fluid to the container, means for evacuating thetransfer means of any remaining fluid once the container has beenfilled. The transferring means can comprise a needle-like fluid deliverytube in a housing, means for moving either of said delivery tube and thehousing relative to each other so that the needle tube projectsoutwardly of said housing in alignment with the opening of the containerto be filled, means for moving either of said container and saiddelivery tube relative to each other so that the delivery tube isinserted within the container and means for communicating said deliverytube to a supply of a predetermined volume of fluid, means for graduallywithdrawing either of said container and tube relative thereto whilefilling the container. Gassing means are provided for inserting inertgas into the remaining volume of said container after it has been filledwith liquid and means are provided for sealing the top of the containerafter the inert gas has been inserte d.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Having thus generally described thenature of the invention, it will be referred to in more detail byreference to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferredembodiment of the invention and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus for automatically fillingcontainers; 7

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross section taken along lines 4- 4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary end elevation of the structure shown in crosssection in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross section taken along lines 6- 6 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 which is on the same sheet of drawings as FIGS. 4 and 5 is avertical cross section taken through the lines 77 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 which is on the same sheet of drawings as FIG. 2 is a verticalcross section taken along the lines 8-8 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 which is on the same sheet of drawings as FIG. 6 is an axialcross section taken through the structure of a detail of the. apparatusshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 which is on the same sheet of drawings as FIG. 6 is an enlargedfragmentary section illustrating a set of the operation of the structureshown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 which is on the same sheet of drawings as FIG. 3 is an axialcross section taken through the structure of a further detail of theapparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a vertical cross section taken through the lines l2l2 of FIG.2; I

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary enlarged plan view of a particular structureshown in FIG. 12 and taken generally along the line 1313 in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a detail of the structureshown in FIG. 12 showing a step of its operation;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the structure shown inFIG. 14, showing a successive step of the operation;

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary axial cross section taken through the structureof still a further detail of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, thefilling apparatus is shown as having a cabinet 20 having a table surface22 and an upstanding support post 24. Mounted on the cabinet 20 andtowards the rear portion thereof is a pump assembly 26. A liquid fillingassembly 28 as well as a powder-filling assembly 32 are mounted onrespective brackets 29 and 33 to the support post 24 and are adapted foralternative use. A gassing assembly 30 is mounted on a separate supportpost 31.

There is an inlet conveyor assembly 34 provided on the table which isadapted to feed ampoules or bottles to a turntable assembly 36. Theturntable feeds the bottles one by one past a filling station 38 atwhich point either the liquid-filling assembly 28 or the powderfillingassembly 32 could be located. The turntable also passes the ampoules Apast a gassing station 40 where the gassing assembly is located. Anoutlet conveyor 44 picks up the ampoules A from the turntable 36 andthen passes them past a sealing assembly 42.

PUMPASSEMBLY 26 'Referring now to FIGS. 4 through 8, the pump assembly26 will be described in more detail.

The pump assembly 26 includes a variable speed motor 46 connected to adrive shaft 48. The drive shaft is supported near its free end by abracket 54 mounted to a partition 52, bracket 54 supports a bearing 56through which the shaft 48 is journalled. On the end of the drive shaft48 is a crank disc 58 to which is mounted a sliding stub shaft 60 whichcan be adjusted radially relative to the axis of the shaft 48 by meansof a screw 61. As will be described later, the pump stroke can beadjusted by adjusting the radial distance of the stub shaft 60 from theaxis of the shaft 48.

Connected to the stub shaft 60 is a reciprocating cylindrical pump 62comprising a cylinder portion 63 and a piston 64 which is in turnconnected to a piston rod 66. The connecting rod 66 is journalled to thestub shaft 60 on the crank disc 58. On the other end of thereciprocating cylindrical pump 62 is a valve housing 68 which is fixedlyconnected to the end of the cylinder 63 and is mounted for slightpivoting motion to the partition 52. The cylinder 63 is connected to thevalve housing 68 by means of a pump collar 70 through which a passage 71communicates with an inlet-exit bore 72 as shown in FIG. 8. A centralbore 74 communicates with the bore 72 and extends laterally thereof tocommunicate with a first valve chamber 76. An orifice 78 connects thevalve chamber 76 to an inlet bore 80 from a liquid source. About theorifice 78 is defined a valve seat 82 on which a ball 84 is adapted tobe seated and close the orifice between the valve chamber 76 and bore80.

The second valve chamber 86 communicates with the first valve chamber 76through an orifice 87.. A valve seat 88 is defined about the orifice 87and a larger ball 90 seated on the valve seat 88 is adapted to block thepassage of liquid from the second valve chamber 86 from the first valvechamber 76. An access cap 91 is provided for easy access to the firstvalve chamber 76 and second valve chamber 86 for purposes of cleaningand maintenance. I

An outlet bore 92 communicates with the second valve chamber 86 andextends parallel spaced apart from the central bore 74. There is anorifice 94 provided between the bores 92 and 74 and a screw type needlevalve extends through the orifice in conjunction with the valve seat 95so formed in the orifice 94. Thus, the needle valve 96 controls the flowbetween the bore 92 and the bore 74.

The valve 68 and the pump 62 operate as follows:

pressure will also act on the ball to retain it against its valve seat88 preventing air from passing from the second valve chamber 86 into thefirst valve chamber 76.

However, if the pump has just pushed liquid towards the liquid-fillingassembly 28, and is starting to return, some liquid will remain in theconduits 120 as well as in the bores 92 and the second valve chamber 86.By adjusting the needle valve 96 so that a small opening is created inthe orifice 94 between the outlet bore 92 and the central bore 74 aslight amount of suction will cause remaining liquid to pass into thebore 74 without affecting the pressure differential between the firstvalve chamber 76 and the second valve chamber 86 working on the ball 90.Of course, if the valve would be left so that the suction would actequally on both the second chamber 86 and the first chamber 76, theliquid in the tubes to the filling assembly 28 would be cleared veryquickly and then air would rush into the valve to fill the chamber.However, by means of the needle valve 96 a controlled small amount ofsuction is applied in the outlet system to withdraw the liquidtherefrom.

Depending on the adjustment of stub shaft 60 an accurately meteredpredetermined volume of liquid can be obtained in the pump chamber bythe time the piston has reached its downstroke.

As the piston 64 reaches the lower limit of its downstroke and begins torise on the upstroke, positive pressure by the liquid returning from thepump into the first valve chamber 76 will act on the ball 84 to blockpassage to the bore 80. This positive pressure will, of course, dislodgethe ball 90 from the valve seat 88 to allow the liquid to pass into thesecond valve chamber 86 and through the outlet bore 92 through theconduit 120 to the filling assembly 28 and into the ampoule A.

Also mounted on the pump shaft 48 is a rotary cam member 98 shown moreclearly in FIG. 6. Rotary cam 98 acts against the pivoted cam lever 100pivoted to a pivot base 102. A pair of Bowden cables 104 and 106 areattached to the cam lever 100 and at the other end to the liquid fillingassembly 28 and the inner gassing assembly 30 respectively as will bedescribed further. The sheaths 108 and 110 of the Bowden cables 104 and106 respectively are connected to abracket 11 1.

Finally, a rotary cam disc 1 12 is also provided on the pump shaft 48, aprecision limit switch 114 is mounted to the partition 52 and has awheel 116 on the end of a lever which rides on the rotary cam disc 112.The limit switch 114 is normally closed except when the wheel 116follows the segment of the cam disc 112 which is cut out as is shown inFIG. 7. Then the limit switch 1 14 is then open, as will be describedfurther.

LIQUID-FILLING ASSEMBLY 28 Referring now to F 168. 9 and 10, theliquid-filling assembly 28 is shown in cross section. A support bracket122 is mounted to most 24 to support an upper cylindrical portion 124which is closed at the top by a cap 126. The cap 126 defines a passage128 through which the Bowden cable 104 passes. The sheath 108 is fixedlyattached to the cap 126. A main bore 130 is defined throughout. thecylindrical liquid-filling assembly 28 and a plunger block 132 isadapted for sliding movement along the axis of this bore 130. A plunger134 is fixedly attached to the plunger block 132 and it is in turnconnected to the Bowden cable 104. A spring 136 extends within the bore130 between the plunger block 132 and the cap 126 normally urging theplunger block 132 in a downward direction.

The liquid-filling assembly 28 also includes a lower cylindrical tubeportion 138 which defines an elongated slot 140 in the wall thereof. Anadaptor 121 extends outwardly from the plunger block 132 through theslot 140 and the liquid conduit 120 which comes from the valve housing68 is connected to the adaptor 121. It can be seen that the adaptor 121be allowed to travel along the slot 140 as the plunger block 132 ismoved up and down the bore 130. At the end of the cylindrical portion138 is a lower flanged insert 142 which contains a centering collar 144and a spring 145 acting between the flange of the insert 142 and thecentering collar 144. This centering collar 144 defines a downwardlyextending conical cavity 146 and at the apex of the cavity is a passage148. A needle delivery tube 150 extends from the plunger block 132,communicating with the adaptor 121 and passes through this passage 148.

In operation, as the cam lever 100 in FIG. 6, is at a point on therotary cam 98 of the largest diameter, the plunger block 132 will havebeen pulled upwardly against the spring 136 by the Bowden cable 104 toits highest position in the bore 130. Assuming an ampoule A is beneaththe liquid-filling assembly 28 its narrow neck will be pushedupwardlyagainst the centering collar 144 acting slightly against thespring 145 forcing the centering collar 144 to move slightly upwardrelative to the end of the needle delivery tube 150. In this manner, theneedle delivery tube 150 is best centered within the opening of theampoule A.

As the rotary cam 98 continues its counterclockwise rotation, the leverarm 100 will pass the notch 99 in the cam 98 to the point of smallestdiameter in an instant slacking the Bowden cable 104 which allows theplunger 134 and plunger block 132, as well as the needle delivery tube150 to drop, by means of the spring 136, relative to the bore 130 withthe delivery tube 150 extending past the end of the liquid-fillingassembly 28 such as shown in FIG. 10. In this position, the needledelivery tube 150 is at the bottom of the ampoule to be filled. As thecam 98 continues its counterclockwise rotation, the diameter of thesegment of the cam 98 acting against the cam lever 100 graduallyincreases, thus gradually retrieving the delivery tube 150 from thebottom of the ampoule by the action of the Bowden cable 104 on theplunger 134 and plunger block 132 against the spring 136.

Simultaneously, as the plunger block 132 and the delivery tube 150begins its upward movement, the piston 64 in the pump assembly 62 beginsits upswing forcing the liquid in the cylinder 63 to pass through theconduit 120 through the adaptor 121, the bore in the plunger block 132,through the delivery tube 150 and into the ampoule A.

The retrieving of the delivery tube 150 is coordinated with the speed atwhich the ampoule A is filled by the pump. As the rotary cam 98continues to rotate, the lever arm abuts against the point of thelargest diameter, the plunger block 132 will be at its uppermostposition'and the delivery tube will then be fully retrieved within thebore 130 and simultaneously the piston 64 will have reached theuppermost limit of its upswing in the reciprocating pump 62.

GASSING ASSEMBLY 30 Referring now to FIG. 11, the gassing assembly 30 isshown as having a cylindrical tube 152 closed at its upper end by a cap154 defining a passage 156 through which the Bowden cable 16 is adaptedto 'pass. Of course, the sheaths 110 of the Bowden cable 106 is fixed tothe cap 154. The cylindrical tube 152 defines a central bore 158. Aplunger block 160 is adapted to travel within the central bore 158 andis itself connected to a plunger 162 which is connected to the Bowdencable 106. An adaptor 161 is provided on the plunger block 160. A spring164 is located between the cap 154 and the plunger block 160 and urgesthe plunger 160 downwardly.

Also within the bore 158 below the plunger block 160 is a centeringshoulder block 166 which mounts a centering tube 168 extendingdownwardly from the shoulder block 166 and passing outwardly of the endof the cylindrical tube 152. A spring 170 is located between the plungerblock 160 and the shoulder centering block 166 urging the plungercentering block downwardly. 1

At the end of the centering tube 168 is provided a centering collar 172having a conical cavity 174 and a passage 173 which is adapted to allowthe needle delivery tube 178 to pass. The needle delivery tube 178 isconnected at one end to the plunger block 160 and communicates with theadaptor 161. A cap 175 is provided at the bottom end of the tube 152 andencloses a spring 176 which acts upwardly against the shoulder centeringblock 166. Also a slot 179 is provided in the wall of the cylindricaltube 152 and allows the adaptor 161 to travel as the plunger block 160travels axially in the bore 158.

Mounted to an end of an adaptor tube 161 is a valve member 180 whichdefines a central bore 182 communicating with the adaptor 161 and a tube183 connected to a gas supply. A lateral bore 184 intersects the centralbore 182 and a sliding valve piston 186 is adapted to slide in thelateral bore 184. The valve piston 186 is provided with an opening or arestricted portion 188. The opening 188 does not normally communicatewith the central bore 182 and therefore, the central bore 182 isnormally blocked so that gases cannot reach the delivery tube 178.However, an abutment screw 190 is provided on the mounting as shown inFIG. 11 and as the plunger block 160 descends, as will be describedlater, so will the adaptor 161 and the valve member 180. As the valvepiston 186 abuts the abutment screw 190, it will stop its travelalthough the valve member 180 will continue its downward movement, untilthe opening 188 coincides with the central bore 182. Then gas will beallowed to pass under pressure from the source 183 to the delivery tube17 8.

IOGOIZ (1207 In operation, the gassing assembly 30 as previouslydescribed is at the gassing station 40 and its operation is simultaneouswith that of the liquid-filling assembly 28. Since the Bowden cable 106is attached to the same cam lever 100 as that of the liquid-fillingassembly, then the movement of the plunger 160 in the bore 158corresponds axially to the movement of the plunger block 132 and thebore 130. Therefore, this part of the operation will not be repeated.However, as the plunger block 160 is allowed to move downwardly by theslacking of the Bowden cable 106 and the urging of the spring 164, thedelivery tube 178 will enter the narrow neck of the ampoule A1. Y

The spring 170 which is being urged by the block 160 against thecentering shoulder block 162 overcomes the spring 176, and the centeringtube 168 will be forced to pass downwardly past the cap 175 and thecentering collar 172 will fit on the top of the ampoule A1 as shownwhile the delivery tube 178 will continue its downward movement throughthe opening in the ampoule A1. It is necessary for the provision of thecentering tube 168 in the gassing apparatus since the ampoule is notbrought up against the gassing assembly as is the case in theliquid-filling assembly. The delivery tube 178 enters only slightlywithin the filled ampoule A1 that is at least to clear the neck of theampoule. As the plunger block 160 has reached the limit of its downwardmovement, the valve piston 186 will have been moved upwardly asdescribed previously so that the opening 188 corresponds with thecentral bore 182. Normally, gas under pressure will be allowed to passthrough the central bore 182, the delivery tube 178, and enter the neckof the ampoule. The gas is normally an inert gas which is forced intothe bottle with the liquid so as to prevent any oxidation if space isleft in the bottle.

The plunger block 160 begins its upward movement as the Bowden cable 106pulls upwardly on the plunger 162, the valve member 180 will moveupwardly allowing the valve piston 186 to again block the centralpassage 182. As the delivery tube 178 is moved upwardly by the plungerblock 160 no more gas will pass through the delivery tube 178. Also, thespring 176 is now sufficient to overcome the action of the spring 170 asthe plunger block 160 is moving in an opposite direction and, therefore,the spring 176 will push the centering shoulder block 166 upwardly toretrieve the centering tube 168 into the gassing assembly 30.

TURNTABLE ASSEMBLY 36 The turntable assembly 36 is shown best in FIGS.12 through 15. A turntable 202 is provided which is fixed to a shaft206. The turntable 202 includes a plurality of spaced apart peripheralrecesses 204 each adapted to receive an ampoule or bottle to be filled.These recesses 204 are best seen in FIG. 2.

Beneath the turntable 202 within the cabinet 20 is an electric clutch208 which is operated by a motor 210. Also an indexing wheel 212 havinga hub 214, a collar portion 216 is fixedly mounted to the shaft 206. Theshaft 206 is supported on the table 22 of the cabinet 20 by suitablebearings 217. The collar 216 is connected concentrically to the electricclutch 208 as shown in FIG. 12. The indexing wheel'212 has a pluralityof peripheral notches 218 corresponding to the peripheral recesses 204in the turntable 202.

Also, in association with the turntable 202 is a pedestal 220 which isadapted to move up and down through a guiding collar 222 through thetable 22. The up and down movement of the lifting pedestal 220 iscontrolled by a link member 224 pivotally connected to the pedestal 220which is in turn connected to a pivoted bell crank member 226 havinglevers 227 and 228. The link 224 is connected to the bell crank lever227. A pivoting lever member 230 is pivoted to the base of the cabinet20 which is actuated by reciprocating piston arm 234 which is in turnactuated by a reversible motor 232. This reversible motor could be inthe form of a pair of electro-magnetic coils which are concentric withthe cores of the piston and which are energized separately for movingthe piston arm 234 in different directions. I v

The pivoting lever arm 230 is pivoted at its other end to the bell cranklever 228 as well as a split link member 236. A more clear illustrationof this split link 236 is shown in FIG. 13.

A split link member 236 is in turn connected to a pivoted actuating pinpivoted to the base of the cabinet 20 and which engages a pawl 240pivoted in a slide member 242 which is adapted to slide back and forthin a slide housing 244. A slot 246 is provided in the slide housing 244to allow pivoted actuating pin 238 to engage the pawl 240 in its to andfro movement. The slide member 242 is provided with engaging head 248which is adapted to engage the notches 218 in the indexing wheel 212.

A slide member 242 is also provided with a recess 250 in which of courseis pivoted the pawl 240. The pawl 240 is allowed to pivotcounterclockwise to almost a horizontal position but because of itscontour, it can only pivot to a position shown in FIG. 14 when rotatedclockwise by gravity, since it abuts against the portion of the slidemember 242. A slide member 242 at its other end is provided with aspring recess 252 and a central abutting pin 256. A spring 254 isprovided between the end of the slide housing 244 to urge the slidingmember 242 toward the indexing wheel 212. A-

micro switch 258 is mounted to the cabinet 20 at the rear of the slidemember housing 244 which is adapted to be engaged by the abutment pin256 when the sliding member 242 is in a rearward position.

Before an ampoule reaches the turntable 202, there is provided an inletconveyor 34 which includes an upstanding conveyor belt 260 and anopposed pressure plate 262; The conveyor belt 260 is adapted to move theampoules forward in their vertical position. The pressure plate 262retains the ampoules against the conveyor belt as well as causing themto rotate upon their own axis as they are being moved forward. As shownin FIG. 2, each ampoule is fed to a separate recess 204 in the turntable202.

On the other side of the turntable 202 is provided an outlet conveyor44. This outlet conveyor includes a conveyor belt 264 as well as apressure plate 266. The same rotary movement is applied to the series ofampoules as the filled ampoules move forward. A burner 268 is adjacentthe conveyor belt 264 and is adapted to seal the tops of the ampoules.Since the ampoules are caused to rotate upon themselves as they advancean even sealing operation is provided.

In operation, the inlet conveyor belt 260 moves the ampoules Aseparately into individual recesses 204 of the turntable 202. As theampoule A approaches the liquid-filling station 38, cam wheel 116approaches a recess portion of the cam disc 1 12. As the rotationcontinues, the cam wheel 116 falls into the recess segment of the disc112 thus opening the micro switch 114 which forces the piston 234 tomoveoutward from the reversing motor 232 thereby causing the pivot arm 230to pivot counterclockwise thus pivoting the bell crank member 226clockwise forcing the link member 224 to push the pedestal 222 upwardsto its fully extended position. 8

At the same time, the split link member 236 is in a position shown inthe FIG. 12 clear of the pawl 240 thus allowing the slide member 242upon the urging of the spring 254 to press the engaging head 248 withinthe notch 218 of the indexing wheel and retaining it in a stoppedposition. Thus, the turntable 202 is also stopped with an ampoule recess204 corresponding with the pedestal 220. If an ampoule A is in therecess 204 the pedestal 220 will have raised it against theliquid-filling mechanism. Of course, the operation as described with themechanism for filling is now taking place.

As the pump shaft 48 continues to rotate, the limit switch wheel 116will clear the recess portion of the cam disc 112 and will again closethe limit switch 114 reversing the reversible motor 232 causing thepiston 234 to retract within the reversible motor 232. This causes thepivot arm 230 to pivot clockwise thus forcing the bell crank member 226to move counterclockwise to retract the link member 224 and the pedestal220. At the same time, the split link member 236 will move in thedirection of the arrow in FIG. 14 causing the pivoted actuation pin 238to rotate counterclockwise which thus engages a pawl 240 to push theslide member 242 rearwardly against the urging of the spring 254. Therearward movement of the sliding member 242 causes the abutment pin 256to engage the limit switch 258.

This limit switch 258 immediately diverts the electrical current fromthe pump motor 46 to the motor 210 or the electric clutch 208 engagingthe indexing wheel collar 216 and, therefore, the shaft 206 forcing theturntable 202 as well as the indexing wheel 212 to rotate.

At the same time, the actuating pin 238 will have reached a position asshown in FIG. 15, pivoted far enough to clear the pawl 240. In thismanner, the sliding member 242 upon the urgence of the spring 254 willagain be caused to slide towards the indexing wheel. The engaging head248 of the sliding pin 242 will then engage the outer periphery of theindexing wheel 212 and as soon as a successive notch 218, of the nowrotating wheel 212, is in position, the engaging head will immediatelyengage the notch 218 stopping the indexing wheel 212 against the actionof the electric clutch 208 and also stopping the turntable 202. Ofcourse, as the sliding member 242 is moved forward by the spring action254, the abutting pin 256 will have disengaged the micro switch 258which then diverts the current back to the pump motor 48 rather than theelectric clutch 208 or motor 210. The cycle is now ready to repeatitself to fill another ampoule.

The gassing station 40 is located such that it fills inert gas into theampoules after they have successively passed a liquid-filling station38. The operation of the liquid-filling assembly 28 and gassing assembly30 is simultaneous with the stopping of the turntable 202 so that whenthe ampoules are filled, the turntable 202 is stopped.

POWDER FILLING If it is required to fill containers with powder ratherthan liquid, the powder-filling head 32 is rotated so that it coincideswith the filling station position 38. Referring now to FIG. 16, afragmentary enlarged view or cross section of the powder-fillingassembly of the machine is shown. The powder-filling assembly 32includes a powder bin 272 mounted on a support bracket 273. A driveshaft 274 extends from the top into the powder bin 272 through thenozzle 276 at the lower apex of the cone-shaped powder bin 272. Thedrive shaft accepts the attachment of a spiral feeding screw 278 whichforce-feeds the powder downwardly into a container which is now on thepedestal 220. A restricted section of the nozzle 280 fits into thecontainer opening and the pedestal 220 forces the container upwardly tothe powder nozzle 276.

The brackets 29 and 33 of the liquid-filling assembly 28 andpowder-filling assembly 32 respectively, are indexed to the support post24 and can be easily swung from one alternative position to the other.For instance, if it is required to switch from a liquid-filling positionto a powder-filling position, it is merely necessary to rotate thebrackets 29 and 33 about the post 24 so that the powder-filling assembly32 is located above the filling station 38.

I claim:

1. A fluid filling apparatus for filling containers with a predeterminedvolume of fluid comprising a housing, a needle-like fluid delivery tubein said housing, means for moving either of said delivery tube andhousing relative to each other so that the needle tube projectsoutwardly of said housing in alignment with the opening of a containerto be filled, means for moving either of said container and said tuberelative to each other so that the tube is inserted within thecontainer, means for communicating said tube to a supply of apredetermined volume of fluid, means for gradually withdrawing either ofsaid container and tube relative to each other while filling thecontainer, said housing comprising an elongated tube defining an axialbore, a plunger means adapted to slide axially of the bore, said tubebeing connected at one end of the plunger means, the other end of thetube being adapted to project outwardly of one end of said housing,adapter means connecting the plunger means to a supply line of fluid tobe filled, said plunger means containing bore means for communicatingthe tube to the adapter.

2. A fluid filling apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the free endof said delivery tube cooperates with centering means for centering theopening of a container, said centering means including a spring biasedcollar adapted for limited movement axially of the bore and having aconical cavity flaring outwardly thereof and a passage at the apex ofsaid cavity for passing the delivery tube.

3. A fluid filling apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the plungermeans is spring biased to normally urge the plunger means and thedelivery tube outwardly axially of the tubular housing and means areprovided for gradually retrieving the plunger means and the deliverytube within the housing.

4. A fluid filling apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the housingis fixedly mounted and the delivery tube is movably mounted relative tothe housing, said container is movable towards the housing while thedelivery tube is movable towards the opening of the container.

5. A fluid filling apparatus for filling containers with a predeterminedvolume of fluid as defined in claim 2, wherein a centering tube isconcentric with the delivery tube and is adapted for axial movementrelative thereto spring biased to said plunger means, the free end ofsaid centering tube includes a centering collar having a conical cavity,a passage at the apex of said cavity for passing the delivery tubewhereby said centering collar will shock-absorbingly engage the mouth ofa container to be filled as the opening is centered for the insertion ofthe delivery tube 6. An apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein thefluid to be inserted in the bottle is a gas and a valve means isprovided in association with the plunger means to allow a predeterminedvolume of gas to enter said container through said delivery tube.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein the valve includes acentral bore communicating with the supply of gas and with the deliverytube in the plunger means and plunger type valve means are provided inthe valve for controlling the flow of gas from said supply means throughsaid delivery tube and into said container but the valve will be openedby abutment

1. A fluid filling apparatus for filling containers with a predeterminedvolume of fluid comprising a housing, a needle-like fluid delivery tubein said housing, means for moving either of said delivery tube andhousing relative to each other so that the needle tube projectsoutwardly of said housing in alignment with the opening of a containerto be filled, means for moving either of said container and said tuberelative to each other so that the tube is inserted within thecontainer, means for communicating said tube to a supply of apredetermined volume of fluid, means for gradually withdrawing either ofsaid container and tube relative to each other while filling thecontainer, said housing comprising an elongated tube defining an axialbore, a plunger means adapted to slide axially of the bore, said tubebeing connected at one end of the plunger means, the other end of thetube being adapted to project outwardly of one end of said housing,adapter means connecting the plunger means to a supply line of fluid tobe filled, said plunger means containing bore means for communicatingthe tube to the adapter.
 2. A fluid filling apparatus as defined inclaim 1, wherein the free end of said delivery tube cooperates withcentering means for centering the opening of a container, said centeringmeans including a spring biased collar adapted for limited movementaxially of the bore and having a conical cavity flaring outwardlythereof and a passage at the apex of said cavity for passing thedelivery tube.
 3. A fluid filling apparatus as defined in claim 1,wherein the plunger means is spring biased to normally urge the plungermeans and the delivery tube outwardly axially of the tubular housing andmeans are provided for gradually retrieving the plunger means and thedelivery tube within the housing.
 4. A fluid filling apparatus asdefined in claim 1, wherein the housing is fixedly mounted and thedelivery tube is movably mounted relative to the housing, said containeris movable towards the housing while the delivery tube is movabletowards the opening of the container.
 5. A fluid filling apparatus forfilling containers with a predetermined volume of fluid as defined inclaim 2, wherein a centering tube is concentric with the delivery tubeand is adapted for axial movement relative thereto spring biased to saidplunger means, the free end of said centering tube includes a centeringcollar having a conical cavity, a passage at the apex of said cavity forpassing the delivery tube whereby said centering collar willshock-absorbingly engage the mouth of a container to be filled as theopening is centered for the insertion of the delivery tube.
 6. Anapparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein the fluid to be inserted in thebottle is a gas and a valve means is provided in association with theplunger means to allow a predetermined volume of gas to enter saidcontainer through said delivery tube.
 7. An apparatus as defined inclaim 6, wherein the valve includes a central bore communicating withthe supply of gas and with the delivery tube in the plunger means andplunger type valve means are provided in the valve for controlling theflow of gas from said supply means through said delivery tube and intosaid container but the valve will be opened by abutment against abutmentmeans as the plunger means is in a downwardly extending position withthe delivery tube inserted within the container, said plunger type valvewill close the supply of gas as the plunger means and delivery tube areretrieved within the housing.